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So I'm leaving my current job. I have another job lined up with health insurance that I start a week from Monday. The woman who handles the insurance gave me a 'Waiver of Coverage' form to fill out which I have taken home with me. From what I understand from looking at this if I fill it out I will waive my right to COBRA. I am ending my insurance with the company, but I'm a bit hesitant to just waive my COBRA rights. I assume I'll start the new job and everything will be fine, but in the off chance that it doesn't work out if I sign this and waive my rights then I guess I'm just screwed, right? Does anyone know what this is?

Anyway, I've been training this kid to take over my job (I say kid because my boss is too cheap to actually hire someone qualified to take over my job). He's been coughing all week. He said he had a cold, but was over it. This morning he told me he went to the ER last night where they said he might have pneumonia, but then he started feeling better and they just discharged him and told him to take tylenol (oooookay?). So I'm like Jesus H. Christ what kind of walking death does this kid have and I have to sit next to him while he coughs all day??? I was going to the bathroom like every hour to wash my hands and face which seems like a futile effort to avoid catching whatever he has.

I swear, he's okay with the computer networking stuff but my boss writes out all sorts of communication in long hand (old school) and I know his hand writing is bad, but I seriously wanted to blow my brains out...I sat there for hours translating my boss's poor cursive for this kid to type. I kept trying to get him to figure out the words for himself, 'So, what's the first letter? Okay, it has a tail so it must be a g,j,q,p,or y right?' Do they not teach cursive in school anymore? I felt like a grade school teacher. I kept having to make him look at the context of the sentence to decipher the word. I wanted to die.

So aside from the serious drain of this I think I feel okay. But I'm scared to death training this kid is quite literally going to kill me.

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_cobra.htmlAccording to this doc, you have 60 days to make up your mind. Just to be sure there isn't some hidden loophole that permits a co. to get around this rule, I'd be sure to get it all straight with your current employer before leaving.

According to this I assume that even if I sign this document I could still revoke the waiver within the 60 day period.

"If I waive COBRA coverage during the election period, can I still get coverage at a later date?If a qualified beneficiary waives COBRA coverage during the election period, he or she may revoke the waiver of coverage before the end of the election period. A beneficiary may then elect COBRA coverage. Then, the plan need only provide continuation coverage beginning on the date the waiver is revoked."

I think if I were in the same position as you with regards to the "kid", here's what I'd be doing. After first making a valiant effort to get the kid to understand about deciphering handwriting (which you've done), I'd give up, quite frankly. If your boss is too cheap to hire someone with a bit of what amounts to common sense and basic qualifications, then the onus certainly isn't on you to instill these qualities in some youngster. Your cheap boss deserves what he pays for.

In other words, it's not your problem.

Fingers crossed the hand and face washing spares you whatever dreaded lurgy this kid is hacking all over the place. Good luck with your new job too! (and sorry, but I don't have a clue about COBRA)

Annxxx

PS - if he's still coughing next week, perhaps a lecture entitled "cover your damned mouth when you cough!" is in order!

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

I would NOT sign that waiver. If you have 60 days to sign up for COBRA, then you have 60 days (of course, if you DO sign up on day 59, you have to pay the premiums back to day 1). Why complicate the whole process by waiving this right -- even if it can be revoked (which, of course, could become a huge hassle if your old company doesn't know or doesn't want to know, the law).

It's been years since I was in a COBRA scenario, but I was told, by the HR rep from the company I was leaving, that I didn't need to do anything, until I was ready to sign up (which, I ended up not needing).

Part of me wonders if she can see how much is spent on me through the group policy and is itching to get me off of it. I know they can't know what health condition I have, but I do think they do see what is being spent on each employee (actuary reports? I think?). If so I'm sure mine looks unusually high for a 32 year old.

I feel better knowing I can revoke the waiver, but I'll just call her on monday and ask why I, or anyone, would waive their COBRA rights under any circumstances.